Aftermath
by Kyouryoku Senshi
Summary: Set right after My Struggle II. In Scully's desperation to save Mulder, she encounters more than she ever bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Aftermath

Author: KS

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Season 10 & 5

Summary: Story is set after My Struggle II. What happens after the screen goes black in My Struggle II? Will they find William and save Mulder before it's too late?

A/N: Thanks again to my BETA, Suzanne Feld for sticking with me through all my stories and to Vered for making the awesome cover art. ❤❤❤❤

Scully felt as if time had frozen as she was blinded by the white light. She was pulled by a force words couldn't describe. The spaceship above didn't take her by much surprise, but she had only seen it up close in Africa. It was as if someone was calling on her, but she felt paralyzed. She was able to turn and see Miller, not surprisingly, frozen in place. In that moment, another thought occurred to her, Mulder! She couldn't explain how, but she was able to catch a glimpse of him behind her. He too was frozen in the light, looking at her in shock. Somehow, something had clicked and she was able to reach towards him, but not before she felt a weight tug her upwards. She barely managed to clasp onto his clammy fingers before everything went black.

She woke in a dark, dimly lit room. She was laying in a fairly comfortable bed, with the covers pulled around her. Was everything just a dream? Did the world really just end? Feeling suddenly vulnerable, she pulled back the covers to see that only her shoes had been removed, much to her relief.

Just then, a door had opened. "What is going on here, what am I doing here?! Where's Mulder?" She demanded with sudden realization. She was so beside herself that she just barely registered the individual standing before her.

A young woman who was only slightly taller than herself stood before her, holding a food tray. She said nothing, but she Scully wasn't prepared for what she saw next when the girl looked over towards her. She had deep blue eyes that matched her own and strawberry blond hair. Scully felt almost as if she was staring back at a younger reflection of herself. The girl couldn't have been much older than twenty.

"You're awake," the girl said.

As she spoke, Scully was instantly struck with a vision of a much younger girl.

"Let me go, Mommy," she had said. Emily. No, her daughter had died. She had watched her die, because she couldn't do anything to save her from that horrible fate. Just like she couldn't do anything to save Mulder without their son. She tried to force the sudden tears back from her eyes.

"Where am I, where's Mulder?" Scully said again as she went to stand up.

"He's safe," she said simply.

"I need to go to him, he needs my help."

The girl looked at Scully reluctantly. Scully noted the absent way she touched her stomach. She knew that look all too well, she was pregnant. She had to only be a few months along though. Scully mourned that loss all over again as she felt the emptiness of her own womb. She would never be able to have another child, especially not at the age of fifty one. In fact, she had just started experiencing symptoms of premenopause.

"We brought him here to help," she said, placing the tray of food on the nearby coffee table.

Scully frowned in frustration. "I'm not even sure I can help him, and who is 'we'?"

She smiled. "Will is here. Your son, William."

After all these years, she still wasn't prepared for the day she would meet her son. Ecstatic was an understatement, but at the same time she couldn't find the right words. All of a sudden, she felt as if her equilibrium was off. It was too much. Everything that was happening, from losing her mother, to having Mulder back in her life, to having him being back on death's door and to meeting her son for the first time in nearly fifteen years. She felt nauseous and her head was spinning until she lost focus and everything went black once again.

Emily caught Scully before she could completely fall to the floor. She took several minutes holding her mother in her arms, admiring the features that were so similar to her own. She moved her upright and wrapped a blanket around her. She pushed a small strand of hair from Scully's face. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember much about her. That last time she saw her was when she was just a toddler.

"How is she?" A male voice asked from behind in a deep voice she had just started getting used to. William was no longer a prepubescant. His voice was laced with the telling signs of a teenager. They were seven years apart, but they had grown close after living together several years when after William had been taken from his adoptive parents.

"She's in shock, Will, but I think she'll be fine," Emily said, feeling Scully's forehead. She couldn't take her eyes off of their mother. She could have sworn she saw the look of recognition in Scully's eyes earlier. She could only remember bits and pieces of their mother as did Will, shockingly enough, but he had always had special powers.

To be continued...

A/N: More will be explained as the story moves forward. CSM has only proven that no one truly dies in XF! :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Em, I don't think he's going to make it," the voice of a teenager came from nearby.

"She was trying to save him, but it wasn't enough."

Where was she? As Scully opened her eyes, she immediately recalled where she was.

"She's awake," the familiar female voice had said. This must have been 'Em', according to the male voice. It was then she remembered. She had said William was there. Scully suddenly got to her feet, startling the two youth. It was then she realized that it was an instinct only a mother had. Before her were her two long lost children. She moved to a nearby chair as her knees threatened to give way once more.

The teenage boy next to the girl had mahogany hair with a reddish tint and blue eyes that matched her own. Those eyes analyzed her with genuine curiosity.

"William? Emily?" Her voice broke as she found the words. "Oh god, this can't be true...this isn't real, this has to be a dream." She looked over towards the girl. "My sweet Emily, I watched you die...because I wasn't able to save you," she continued as tears streamed down her face.

Finally, they moved over towards her and closed the gap between them. "And my sweet William, I thought I would never see you again...my mind is playing tricks on me," she laughed tearfully.

Emily touched her mother's arm and Scully was startled by a small jolt upon her touch. "You had every right to believe I was dead and all will be explained soon, but we need to save..." Emily started, unsure of how to refer to Mulder.

"Dad," Will finished for her. "We brought him here too. He's dying, isn't he?"

Scully felt pained at the words. She was torn between pulling them both into a tight embrace and swearing to never let them go again and also trying to find the words to make a request of the son that she barely knew.

"Yes," she started slowly, still digesting the features of the two young adults in front of her. "But, I think there is a way that will save him..."

They watched her for what felt like forever, but was only moments before she continued, looking over to Will. She had a pleading, desperate look in her eyes that made Will want to hug her. "He needs a stem cell donor that would be a viable match, ideally...a blood relative."

William seemed to understand what she was getting at before she could say anything further. "He needs my stem cells, right?" He seemed so intuitive that she wondered if he was anything like Gibson Praise.

Scully watched him closely, admiring his features. He looked so much like her, but she could see a lot of Mulder in him too. "Yes," was all she could muster. "I'm sorry, all these years I imagined what I'd say when I saw you again and this wasn't it. I have no right to-"

"So let's get started," he said quickly.

Emily looked over at Will, as if she were asking him telepathically if he was sure about doing this. Scully could tell from the look on her face. She and Mulder often communicated silently with similar gestures.

"Thank you," was all she could muster. She was overwhelmed with so many feelings that she couldn't think straight.

"Can you do it now?"

Scully looked up in surprise. Part of her felt guilty about putting him through this, but it was the only way.

"Yes, but it will take several days at least for you to fully recover."

"I get it," he said simply.

"Okay," she started. "Can you show me where he is first, please?"

As they guided her down a hall and into a corridor, Scully's mind was overwhelmed with questions, but last time she saw Mulder he was so near death that she was sure they were out of time. Where were they and why had they taken her? What about the rest of civilization? And how was Emily still alive? Where had she and William been all these years?

A moment later, she felt Emily place her hand on Scully's arm, as if she had a way of sensing Scully's discomfort. Did she have special abilities like William? She hadn't known her long enough as a child to have found out. When Scully looked over at her, she felt an instant connection. Despite missing the last twenty some years of her life, Scully already loved her. When she met her all those years ago, she loved her right away. Their time together had been too short and losing her only chance to be a mother after finding out she was barren had been too much to entertain.

What had happened to her children all these years? We're they loved by someone as much she loved them? If this was indeed her long lost Emily and if she really was pregnant, that meant Scully was going to be a grandmother. It was all so overwhelming that she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"It's okay, " Emily's voice was like music to her ears. "We'll explain everything soon."

Scully nodded. "I know, I'm okay," she lied.

They now stood in front of a door and it was then, with William right in front of her that she realized how tall he was. He wasn't as tall as Mulder just yet, but her was getting there.

"We're here," he said. "Don't worry," he said, sensing Scully's anxiety. "He's still alive."

Scully nodded as the door opened into what looked very similar to a hospital room. She could see Mulder laying on the bed and she could see there was an IV'S attached to his arm. She hadn't gotten the chance to even try treating him with the vaccine before she was taken, but there he was with the IV in his arm. His eyes were closed and his breathing was just barely audible. William and Emily stood back to give her some space, but she was still a little embarrassed to break down completely in front of them.

She reached out and touched Mulder's face. The vaccine seemed to be helping keep him alive at the moment, but he was no longer conscious. When she found him so close to death, it was then that she had horrible regrets about the demise of their relationship. As a doctor, she knew that leaving him had only worsened his depressive state, but she couldn't handle it anymore. She let him take the blame, when in fact part of the reason she left was due to her own demons. She grew resentful any blamed him for all the things she lost in her life, even if it was her choice to follow Mulder all those years.

They had even tried to have another child to no avail. When she had the miscarriage, she had said things to him she later came to regret. Mulder had also grown resentful of the fact that she constantly held him back from what he did best; searching for the truth. "I'm sorry, Mulder," she had whispered. "I promise I'm going to make things right again."

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Scully had so many questions for them both. Everything felt surreal. Part of her felt as if she were dreaming. How had William known she had needed him desperately when she found Mulder? Where had they been all these years and how was Emily still alive? Her mind was spinning with questions, but she had to focus. She was thankful that there was a medical facility where they were, but to be honest she didn't even know where "this" was. She was just glad that all the medical instruments she needed were within arm's reach. She hated doing this to the son she barely knew, but she didn't want to risk losing Mulder.

She regretted leaving him to wallow in his depression all those years. As a medical doctor, she knew that her leaving had only made it worse. She bailed. After everything else they had been through, she left him over his depression. But she knew it was much more than that. She grew resentful towards him after everything she had lost in her life and yet he still wanted to bring that darkness back into their home. She knew now that this was their life, whether she liked it or not. Mulder was right, his stubbornness was the reason she fell hopelessly in love with him, but at the same time it destroyed them. All she wanted to do was to go home and promise him she would never leave again, if only he made it out of this alive.

She felt herself shaking as she went to administer the anesthetic to William. She was a doctor, but at the same time, this was the son she had just met again after fifteen years. She felt a hand on hers. "Let me do it," Emily said, smiling at her reassuringly. Scully looked at her hesitantly. "It's okay," she said in her sweet voice. "I'm an RN." Scully didn't know why, but that surprised her more than it should have. If this really was her Emily, she would be about 22 now. It was entirely possible for her to have completed nursing school. Scully nodded and watched the younger woman.

"You're gonna be okay, Will," she whispered. He didn't seem phased by his sister's abilities one bit. Scully still wasn't sure what to say to the son she'd just met. She placed her hand on his arm. "We'll take good care of you, I promise," Scully managed as his eyes started to close.

She was however surprised by his reply. "I know you will." Scully forced the tears back from her eyes.

Once he was asleep, she turned towards Mulder. "We sedated him when we brought you both here, but we'll give him some more anesthetic just in case. Just tell me what you need."

Scully couldn't stop staring at the adult Emily before her. She was beautiful and so much like her. She momentarily had a flashback to her young daughter, so many years ago. "Emily," she whispered, as if she were in a trance.

"Yes?" Emily couldn't help but notice how her mother was looking at her, her gaze was filled with love.

"Can I, is it okay if I give you a hug?"

Emily smiled at her and happily obliged, pulling Scully into a tight embrace. Scully couldn't hold it in anymore. Everything was just too much. She was overwhelmed with emotions and began to sob uncontrollably. "My sweet Emily, it's you, you're real."

The younger woman closed her eyes. She didn't remember Scully too well. She was much younger then and had short dark red hair, but she recognized that gaze full of love immediately. This was their mother and she loved her. After a couple of minutes, Scully pulled away and gathered herself. They had to get started. Conversations could happen later.

"Ready?"

"Yes, let's get started."

It only took a little over an hour to synthesize the stem cells and treat Mulder. It literally took everything she had to focus on the procedure, with help from Emily giving her various medical supplies. Soon afterwards, they were both sitting in front of the two hospital beds that contained Mulder and William. Scully hoped to death that this worked. Only time would tell.

"It'll work," Emily said as if sensing her thoughts.

"I hope so, I don't want to lose him. He needs to see William again, otherwise I won't forgive myself. I was the one who gave him away."

"Don't feel guilty, he knows you were trying to protect him."

As Scully looked over at her, she smiled once more. "I know you did your best to save me too. You wanted my suffering to end."

Scully felt her throat tighten with unshed tears. "Tell me, how are you here?"

Emily turned and pulled her hair back from her neck, revealing a small scar. Scully was horrified. She didn't want this for her children. "It cured my illness," she continued. "I have alien DNA just like you, but when I was born they hadn't perfected the alien human hybridization."

Scully swallowed. She was afraid her daughter had suffered the same fate as herself. "Whatever you do, you can't remove it," her voice broke, but it was still filled with urgency.

"I know," she reassured Scully. Her mother had tears rolling down her cheeks and Emily took her mother's hand. They sat in silence for a while watching the monitors for any signs of change in Mulder and William who were sleeping.

Scully recalled her discussion with Mulder about her mother when they had scattered the ashes together. About how she still felt responsible for Charlie. She thought about how her mother was trying to tell them they were still responsible for William, even if he was given up for adoption, he was still their responsibility. As she played with the golden cross necklace around her neck, her thoughts drifted to Emily. Scully hadn't given birth to her. She was a child created from the ova stolen from her. Regardless, she was still her mother. That surely meant she was still responsible for her well being also, even if she wasn't aware she was alive all these years.

It was then that Scully realized she had forgotten something. "A mother knows her children in a way others can't describe, Emily," she whispered. "But I'd like to take a sample of your blood and of William's."

To her surprised Emily nodded. "Okay, I understand. I know this must be a lot to take in."

"Thank you."

Scully quickly collected a sample from William, before she moved to Emily. Emily held out her arm while Scully swabbed her skin and collected the sample. She watched her mother curiously as she went to work. She had lighter hair and more worried lines creased her face. Scully had collected her own blood once more as well.

As she paced around, Scully looked back to Emily. "Can you tell me what we're doing here? What's happening out there?"

Emily stood up. "I'll take you on a tour and then we can talk."

The younger woman led Scully back to the main area where they had been earlier. "You are on a spaceship that William and I stole. You are connected more than you might think. We knew you needed him, so we came to find you. Ever since he was younger, he could feel you thinking. He knew you thought about him often and that you thought about me too."

"I never wanted to give him up, I loved him so much, it was the most painful thing I ever did. I didn't want to let you go either," Scully looked down as they walked.

"I know." Emily showed her to a large window aboard the craft; it was still night time. Outside, she could still see the scramble of cars in the distance. "Wow," Scully whispered. Internally, she hoped Einstein was able to reproduce the vaccine on her own.

"Where have you and Will been all this time, Emily?"

Emily gazed out the window. "I have been with several families. Will was raised with one adoptive family for about five years. I was taken shortly before I was pronounced dead. Will's Grandfather had done tests on me."

"The cigarette smoking sonofabitch," Scully growled with anger. She clenched her fists. The man that was Mulder's biological father, but had done nothing more than to cause them all grief in order to save himself.

Emily nodded. "Will's adoptive family was killed," she started slowly. Scully gasped and more tears threatened to fall. "Then where have you been?"

"Aunt Monica came to tell you about how you were protected."

Scully could feel yet more rage and somehow Emily picked up on it, because she quickly continued. "I know you think she betrayed you. But she didn't. The Smoking Man offered her a vaccine and told her about the apocalypse. However, once she found out I was alive and that Will's safety was compromised, they reached a compromise. She agreed to do what he said so long as she could make sure we were safe. She took care of us for many years."

Scully couldn't speak as tears clouded her vision. Her lips trembled and she bit down on her lip. She was so angry about her dear friend and at the very thought that she may have been working against them for years. But part of her didn't truly believe that. Monica wouldn't sell her soul just to save herself. That wasn't the Monica she knew. There had to be another explanation.

Just as she was about to inquire about why Monica kept her children's whereabouts a secret from her all those years, it came to her. CSM would have killed her and possibly the children too. She wouldn't have been able to keep them safe if she had gotten herself killed. Another thought occurred to her. If Monica hadn't told her about how to fix what was happening, more people would have died. It made sense now. If the secret was out sooner, who knows what the repercussions would have been.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Walter Skinner had been preoccupied with FBI business and addressing the nationwide panic that had long since spread when he initially heard about Mulder's disappearance. When they located Agent Mulder's whereabouts, he sent Agent Miller to go looking for him while Agent Einstein helped Scully create the lifesaving vaccine. Normally, he put his own ass on the line to save Mulder, but he couldn't this time. Too many lives were at stake; he had to stay and deal with the widespread panic and help develop a course of action.

Feeling sick himself, he immediately went to Our Lady of Sorrows as quickly as he could, due to the mass turmoil. Word had gotten around that Scully was able to create a lifesaving vaccine before infrastructures had fallen. When he arrived at the hospital, however, he was greeted by Agent Einstein who was overwhelmed with treating patients. She was also instructing the few nurses who had been treated to administer the IV to as many civilians as possible.

"Where is Agent Scully?!" He asked urgently, between deep, labored breaths.

The flustered younger redhead shook her head. "Sir," she looked relieved to see him. "Agent Miller found Agent Mulder, but he was in bad shape. She went to find them on a freeway overpass not far from here, so she can treat them both."

Skinner sighed. Of course, she would. Even though she and Mulder had their problems, he knew Scully would go to the end of the Earth if she had to in order to save Mulder.

"Sir," Einstein started, taking note of the beads of sweet and labored breathing of her boss. "You don't look too good yourself."

"I need to find them, Einstein," he gasped. The responsibility of those three Agents rested heavily on his shoulders. "Can you be quick?"

She nodded. "You see the way it is around here, I've got to be."

After Einstein administered him the IV, Skinner waited what seemed like an eternity before he headed towards the coordinates Einstein had given him. He reached into his pocket to grab his phone, only to realize he had lost cell service some time ago due to the fallen infrastructures. "Shit!" The amount of traffic and cars on the road blocking streets and intersections made him even more frustrated by the minute. It was times like this that he regretted FBI vehicles being so damned big. How was he going to find them like this? For a moment, he imagined Scully breaking all the rules of the road in order to get to Mulder. It was a very Scully-like thing to do whenever it came to saving Mulder. After blaring the horn and several close calls, he pulled up into the sidewalk and flew by the line of cars on the road. After flipping the bird to a few cars and muttering a few curse words, he finally made it onto the freeway ramp. However, all he saw in front of him was a sea of cars and people fleeing their parked cars in mass panic. The minutes ticked on and the SUV barely budged. "Dammit!" He was going to have to get out of the car. He charged forward and as he did, each dead body he saw on the side of the road hit him like a pile of bricks. He hoped Scully had gotten to them on time.

However, he wasn't prepared for what he saw next . Up a few yards ahead, there was a flash of light and a distinguishable sound that he would never regret. He stopped, frozen in place and looked up to see what appeared to be a large spaceship hovering above them. He looked on in horror as he recalled the day Mulder was taken and the day that his life was changed forever.

Civilians were awestruck and frozen in place. And that was when he saw her. Scully was standing in a beam of light with that same look of awe in her face as she looked up towards the craft. He held his hand above his face to ward off the blinding light, but that's when he realized that this bean of light was only on her. The sound the ship made was deafening, but he had to get to her. He plunged forward. "SCULLY! DANA!" He screamed as loud as he could. She didn't seem to hear him; the sound was deafening. As he got closer, Agent Miller also came into view. He was just as dumbfounded and in awe as she was. "Agent Miller!"

He stopped as he realized that he was frozen in place. He couldn't move. "SCULLY!" He tried once more to no avail. He felt a sense of deja vu come over him before the light and ship disappeared into the darkness. No! How could he have let this happen again? He looked around to see Miller still frozen in place, but Scully was gone. It seemed like an eternity before his legs felt mobile again and he could see crowds of people nearby looking dazed and confused. He had to force himself to remain calm as he reached Agent Miller. "Agent Miller," he said breathlessly as he grabbed onto the young man's shoulders. "Are you with me?"

He looked as he were stuck in a trance as Skinner shook him lightly. "Sir? What happened? What are you doing here?"

Skinner wasn't sure what to say, but then blurted out "Agent Miller, you went to find Agent Mulder, where is he?"

Miller looked at him steadily, still in somewhat of a daze. "In the car, he isn't doing so well," he coughed. He was sick. He felt his foot step on something and he looked down to see an IV bag. It was the vaccine, Scully must have brought it. He picked it up and went to look in the car, but no one was there.

"Miller, Mulder isn't in here," he said slowly. He was immediately overwhelmed with dread when he realized it. They had taken Mulder too, but why? Miller looked confused. "But, Agent Scully came and...wait, where is Agent Scully?"

Skinner frowned and retreated to him. "Miller, take your jacket off. Now, I'm no doctor, but I used to help treat wounded soldiers when I was in the Marines. You'll have to trust me if you want to make it."

Miller nodded as he let Skinner feel around for the vein in his arm and quickly inserted the needle. "Hold this. Now, do you have a fair amount of gas in this thing?" He asked looking towards the car.

"I just filled up about an hour ago...was afraid we were almost out by the time I got to Agent Mulder."

Skinner nodded. He looked inside to see the keys were still in the ignition.

"Sir, but what about Agent Scully and Mulder? Where did they go? Mulder was dying and couldn't have run off anywhere."

Skinner sighed. "I've seen a lot of unexplainable things over the years, Agent Miller. I think they were abducted, but I don't have time to explain right now. We're losing time. Get into the car."

Miller nodded and did as A.D. Skinner asked. Once they were in the car, Skinner looked over at him. "First tell me, where did you find Mulder?"

Notes: The next few chapters will be about what's happening while everyone else is on the ship.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Mulder groaned. Dazed and disoriented didn't even come close to describing how he felt at that second. He thought he was going to die. The last thing he remembered was ditching Scully yet again to go after his Cigarette Smoking Son of a Bitch of a father. He had sent an informant to him in an attempt to get him Mulder to join while baiting him with the supposed cure.

He didn't want Scully to know. She couldn't handle the truth, it was why she left in the first place. Yet she was one of the "chosen ones", or so the bastard had said. What was the irony of that? His head throbbed and then it came to him. Miller had rescued him, then he remembered being on a bridge until he saw her face. Scully had come to save him and then there was a beam of light shining down on them…her.

He shot up in startling realization. He was in a hospital bed, in a very bright room. He looked around. He saw a young man in the bed next to him…a teenager maybe?

He looked around frantically until his eyes found her. Though her hair was longer than he remembered. She had cut it shortly after she left him, for her it was the beginning of her new life. Her face younger, as if the last eight years had reversed their effects on her.

"Scully," he breathed with a sigh of relief.

The familiar face in front of him frownefrownedd. "Mr. Mulder, you need to relax. You were on your death bed…you're still delirious."

Mulder scowledfrowned. . WhatWhat was with Scully? "I've been in worse places, remember? I saw it and so did you. Where are we?"

'Scully ' seemed to consider for a moment. She started to back up slowly towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going? Scully?!" he began to jumpjumped up from the bed.

The door closed behind her and as when he reached the handle, he couldn't seem to open it. "SCULLY?!"

What was wrong with Scully? What did they do to her? Why did she look at him as if she didn't recognize him?

He looked glanced back at the teenager in the bed next to his. Another thing he realized was that there were no windows in this room. What the hell was going on?

"Don't leave me here! SCULLY!"

This wasn't right, maybe he was hallucinating as a result of the Spartan Virus, and maybe he was still unconscious. He closed his eyes for a moment and that was when the door opened again, forcing him to step back.

"Mulder?"

He knew that voice and he recognized it from miles away. It sounded hopeful and full of love.

He opened his eyes. _This_ was his Scully, slightly more weathered with the years that aged them both, but still so amazingly beautiful. She was looking at him just like she did had on that bridge. Then she was immediately at his side, moving him with strength that he never expected.

"Oh God, Mulder, you can't be up yet. Not after everything you've been through."

"Is it really you, Scully?"

"Yes, how can you even ask me that?" She gushed said as she helped him back onto the bed, fussing over him. He'd really missed thisit.

Mulder sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that…I really thought that was it, that I would never see you again. I didn't take the cure."

Scully couldn't make eye contact with him for fear of bursting into tears right then. She had been so scared of losing him. She was afraid she was never going to see him again and she wanted so much to tell him she had been wrong this whole time…about everything, but she couldn't.

"The ship, it was going to take you away…where are we?"

Scully finally looked at him, unsure how to explain. "You need to rest, Mulder, you're still delirious…"

"Old Smokey," he tried again, the lack of energy catching up to him.

"I know, Mulder," she whispered soothingly while running her hand through his hair.

The door opened and it was suddenly as if Mulder was experiencing double vision. Maybe Scully was right, maybe his brain was playing tricks on him. The younger woman had wentcame over to stand next to her.

"Scully," he began, confused. Why was there two of her?

"I have so much to tell you, Mulder," he heard her voice break as the tears found their way down her cheeks.

Before he could respond, however, his eyelids lost their battle and he fell back into a deep slumber.

Skinner had arrived at the coordinates Miller had given him. The young man was now fast asleep in the passenger side of the car. It looked like Scully's vaccine had worked.

Miller had given Skinner a brief overall of what happened. Skinner had known CGB was still alive. He had called on him and Monica Reyes to let them know he was privy to William's whereabouts. They were the only ones who knew where William was, aside from John Doggett…or so he thought. Once again, he was a pawn in this sick game.

He was also the only one who knew Monica Reyes had resigned unexpectedly all those years ago, other than John Doggett who shortly followed suit by dropping off the grid as well.

The Cigarette Smoking Man had done his homework to ensure the X-Files remained closed. Eliminating the two other credible sources that could run the division was the only way to ensure that.

When he helped Scully find Mulder during the Joseph Crissman case, it took everything he had not to tell Scully about William right then and there. He knew doing so would greatly risk the boy's safety. They all had to play by that sick man's rules. It needed to stop, now.

Skinner looked over at Miller, before getting out of the car. He knocked on the door. It was then that he realized he didn't have any real plan.

He had to think, quickly however, because the door opened in front of him. The person on the other side wasn't who he expected, however.

"Agent Reyes?"

To be continued…..


End file.
